Self-leveling floor.



O. W. KINNEY.

SELF LEVELING FLOOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 9, 1912.

1,101,451 Patented June 23, 1914.

E5 1 6;? H J I V 75 v v 8 mum H001 yuzrzea Kinney Wane/noes nrurnn STATE-SJ PATENT ormnnns w. KINNEY, or-eounnsnono, rENmnvAN t-A, AssIGNon- JAMES KINNEY, or eounnsnono; rnnnsvnva mm;

SELF-LEVELING: moon,

or ONE-HALF T Patented Jmie 23, 19134.

Appitcatiun'filedApril 9,1912- se'riar 1%; 689,607.

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. Kniitnf,

a citizen of'the United States, residing at Gouldsboro, in the county of Wayne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new' so that no matter how the vessel may be tilted or careened by a wave, the floor will, at all times, lie in a horizontal plane.

In the further disclosure of the invention reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings constituting a part of this specification in which similar characters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the views, and in which:

Figure' 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken-through a vessel, showing the arrangement and construction of the self leveling floor; Fig. 2 is a plan view; Fig. 3 is a'horizontal sectional view taken on the line 33 in Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 4-4 in Fig." 1. 7

Referring more particularly to the views, an opening 10 is provided in the usual stationary floor 11 of a vessel 12, the mentioned floor 11, at the opening 10, being formed with downwardly curved walls 13 so that the opening 10 will be dished in shape. Loosely mounted in grooves 14 formed in the walls 13 are ball bearings 15, formedby mounting a series of smooth faced balls in the grooves 14, the mentioned ball bearings 15 being arranged in diametrical relation to the curved walls 13 -and forming a seat 16 for a floor body 17 mounted in the opening 10, the upper surface 18 of the floor body being adapted to normally lie in the horizontal plane of the floor 11. Secured to the under side of the floor body 17 is a weight 19, the said weight depending through an opening 20 formed in the lower portion of the walls 13, a series of apertures 21 being formed in the weight 19 to receive auxiliary weights 22, said auxiliary weights 'tained in a horizontal reened or lurched,

*bein fmo vabl e are wagers) roams pin 'o'se of increasing or decreasingthe stability of the floor body 17. The mentioned floor body 17 is preferably provided with a chamber 23, and a stairway 24 is formed in the floor body 17 and extends from the chamber 23 to the surface 18, a chamber 25 being formed in the floor body for the purpose of storing various articles of food and the like. .If desirable, a suitable dumb waiter 26 can be mounted to extend from the chamber 23 to the surface 18 of the .floor body, as shown.

The self leveling floor is adapted to constltute a dining floor for the reception of dining tables and may be inclosed by asuitable rail 27 to constitute a dining room.

Now it will be readily seen that if the vessel should lurch or careen due to the action of the waves or'elements, the floor body 17 will at all times assume a gravitational position so that the surface 18 thereof will "be re- I plane regardless of the degree to-which the vessel may be cait being readily understood that the auxiliary weights 22 can be added to or removed from the weight '19 to compensate for the lurching of the vessel, thus providing an adjustable means for retaining the floor body in proper position, the mentioned floor body being movably supported by the ball bearings 15 constituting the seat 16 therefor.

It will be understood that various departures can be made from the construction disclosed and described herein without departing from the spirit of the invention and that the scope of the invention is defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

In a self-leveling floor, the combination with a stationary floor surface having an opening and supported by side walls, of curved walls supported in spaced relation-to the sidewalls and extending downwardly from the stationary floor at the formation of the opening therein, to providea dished depression, the said curved walls terminating in an opening, of a series of ball bearings carried in grooves in the curved walls and arranged in a diametrical relation to form a seat, a semi-spherical floor body supported on the seat and provided with a compartment, the said floor body being freely movable on the said ball bearings, and a weight said floor body and the said stationary floor l0 carried on the undef side of the floor body surface.-

and defiendingthrough the opening in the said curved walls to lie between the side walls supporting the floor surface and the said curved walls, the said weight being freelymovable with the saidfioor body when the said floor body moves on the said seat,

and arranged centrally with x 'espect to the In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CI'IARLES W. KINNEY.

Witnesses:

WALTER GREGORY, R. C. DRUM. 

